Enjoy all the comforts of home. Sleep in your own bed, avoid the long drive to a distant location, and still enjoy the satisfaction of taking Wilderness First Aid and honing your outdoor skills. This course will be offered locally in Menands, NY. On Saturday and Sunday December 5 and 6, 2009, the Adirondack Mountain Club Winter Mountaineering School is offering a Certified Wilderness First Aid Course taught by Wilderness Medical Associates (WMA).

WMA has offered courses in Wilderness First Aid since 1981. In 16 hours this course covers topics including patient assessment, fractures, hypothermia, hyperthermia and heat illness, fractures, dislocations, and backcountry medicine. Classroom lectures and discussions are supplemented by practical work and problem solving exercises. WMA instructors have extensive outdoor experience, and have been selected for their expertise in emergency medicine, as well as their teaching skills.

The fee for this course is $185 and includes materials and certification fees. Participants will earn a First Aid certification card upon successful completion of this course. This card is accepted by NYS if you are seeking to become a New York State licensed guide.

Wilderness Medical Associates has a web site at www.wildmed.com. For additional information, and to reserve a spot in the class call Carl at (518) 274-8410. Class size will be limited to 20 students.

The Mid-Hudson Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) is dedicated to the protection and responsible recreational use of the New York Forest Preserve, parks, and other wild lands and waters. The Chapter is a wholly volunteer organization committed to public service and stewardship. It seeks to use a balanced approach to outdoor recreation, advocacy, environmental education, and natural resource conservation.

The Chapter's region contains such extraordinary natural resources as the Catskills; the Shawanagunk Mountains; the Hudson River's middle section; portions of the Appalachian Trail, including Harriman-Bear Mountain State Park (where the first section of the Trail was completed in 1923); and Sterling Forest. All of this is within a hundred miles of New York City, yet it contains some of the finest wilderness areas (and some of the most endangered habitats) in the North-Eastern United States.

By joining the ADK and the Mid-Hudson Chapter, you will have opportunities to explore these natural wonders. We also encourage you to become involved, whether as a trail maintainer, in conservation work, or in the many other activities in which the Chapter is occupied. For details on joining the Chapter and much else of interest, explore this site!